Introduction: 2. Google is ethical - isn't it?

They're unlikely business moguls. Larry is th emore socially awkward of the pair. Heavily eyebrowed, thick-lipped, with a perpetual five o'clock shadow and conservatively cut black hair usually in need of a comb, he rarely volunteers to answer questions unless specifically asked to address them. When he does, it's with a methodical intonation that sounds like a baritone version of Kermit the Frog. Sergey is also shy with outsiders, but more poised, with a piercing stare and curly brown hair piled on top of his head, unable to settle down. They work together on all major company decisions, from ethical issues to product design -- the latter in meetings that can be brutally taxing. But Larry, as president of Products, is the primary thinker about the company, and weighs in heavily on key hiring decisions. Sergey, a mathematical wizard and president of Technology, is the arbiter of Google's technological approach and shows deep interest in the company's moral stance.

Facing questions from shareholders and the press at a corporate annual meeting a couple years ago, Larry sat stiffly in his chair, straight-backed in a blue dress shirt and brown slacks, his hands on his knees, one of them holding a microphone as if he didn't know quite what to do with it. Sergey was more relaxed in a brown T-shirt and faded jeans. He sat comfortably with his forearms resting on his legs, looking over the crowd with an air of intelligent and confident interest, more willing to address sensitive topics than one would expect from such an intensely private entrepreneur.

At this meeting, Amnesty International had presented two proposals, demanding that the company set up a human rights committee to examine its practices in China, with the aim of limiting censorship there. Management felt that this was already being done, and rejected the proposal. But in a show of solidarity with those who have concerns about the issue, Sergey decided to abstain from voting with his shares, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with it. True, it was a largely empty gesture, since the board and management had plenty of votes to reject it even without him, but he wanted to demonstrate an acknowledgment of the difficulty of the issue. Larry and CEO Schmidt voted against the proposal.

I asked Sergey why he abstained, and he explained that he was sumpathetic to the cause and agreed with the proposal in spirit. "Directionally, the two proposals are correct," he said. "I think there is certainly room for us to have a group of independent people in Google who meet regularly to discuss these questions." But he also said he was proud of Google's actions in China, where he felt the company's record was better than that of its competitors.